Glover Park Group

The Glover Park Group (GPG) is a public relations / communications firm that claims to bridge the divide between "high-level strategy consultants who leave tactical implementation to clients and large public relations conglomerates that offer many services, but often lack the hands-on strategic experience that clients need." 

The firm, which includes several former Clinton administration officials,as well as former republican communications strategists, and offers services in advocacy and image advertising, corporate communications, issues and crisis management, legislative affairs (lobbying), media relations (PR), public affairs, and research. 

Fueling opposition to ethanol
In early 2008, after realizing that "rising food prices ... create a window to change perceptions about the benefits of bio-fuels," the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) decided to launch "an 'aggressive' public relations campaign ... in an effort to roll back ethanol mandates that passed in last year's energy bill," reported Roll Call. In March, GMA began searching for a PR firm to help it build "a global center-left coalition" against ethanol and hire "trusted third-party experts" who would link ethanol to global hunger and poverty.

Glover Park submitted a six-month, $50,000 proposal to GMA and won the account. As part of the campaign, Glover Park suggested attacking "whatever intellectual justification might still exist for corn-based ethanol among policy elites," launching a website and possibly creating a "costumed 'mascot' ... to drawn attention and distribute advocacy materials at local supermarkets." U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who strongly criticized the anti-ethanol PR campaign, posted GMA's "request for proposal" (PDF) and Glover Park's response (PDF) on his website.

Lobbying for Colombia trade bill
Politico.com reported on April 8, 2008, "Mark Penn (worldwide CEO of Burson-Marsteller isn’t the only Hillary Clinton supporter on the wrong side of the Colombia trade agreement. The Democratic-leaning advocacy firm the Glover Park Group, former home to Clinton campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson, signed a $40,000 per month contract with the government of Colombia in April of 2007 to promote the very agreement that Clinton now rails against on the presidential campaign trail.  ...  Several other Glover Park employees have deep connections with the Clintons, including founding partner Joe Lockhart, who served as the White House press secretary under President Bill Clinton, and Joel Johnson, who was a senior communications adviser in the Clinton White House."

In May 2007 the Glover Park Group was retained by ProExport Colombia, the Colombian government's trade bureau, to "provide government affairs and lobbying services ... to assist in the passing of the Trade Promotion Agreement between the United States and the Republic of Colombia." In it's $40,000-a-month contract, which was signed by GPG's CEO Carl A. Smith, the lobbying firm undertook to develop "a strategy directed to support the ongoing efforts to promote favorable consideration in the Congress of the United States of America about the TPA (Trade Promotion Agreement)". Specific elements of the strategy GPG proposed were to:


 * "Identify the most significant elements of the congress in the United States Congress, and particularly the Democratic Party, will bear in mind to determine their stand on the TPA;"


 * "Based on a carefully elaborated diagnostic, propose to the Colombia government a comprehensive government relations strategy to reach out for broader support for the approval of the TPA in the United States Congress";


 * "Identify within the press, the Congress, the academy, business leaders and in general the United States society, speakers and leaders that can help the Government of Colombia to transmit its arguments and priorities in relation to the TPA";


 * "Implement the strategy for the above objectives, working closely with Colombian Government teams in Washington D and in Colombia. This includes the necessary contacts and actions to promote support for the approval of the TPA in Congress of the United States"

Fighting for and against climate protection
GPG doesn't mind working all sides of an issue, "providing PR support to the Alliance for Climate Protection, the Al Gore-backed group," as well as helping the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers fight against fuel efficiency standards. "Interpublic’s Martin Agency has developed ads for the campaign with the Alliance for Climate Protection featuring unlikely political pairings like Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich, and Pat Robertson and Al Sharpton. ...  Brian Hardwick, director of communications for the Alliance, told O'Dwyer's that Glover Park's Washington, D.C., office is working with the group. Jason Miner, VP at Glover Park, heads the account. He is a former research director for the Democratic National Committee and was a senior member of the Kerry/Edwards rapid response team in 2004. Gore's chief strategist for his 2000 presidential bid, Carter Eskew, is a founding partner of GPG."

In May 2007, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) launched an ad campaign "to stoke grassroots opposition to a Senate bill that would raise fuel standards for cars and trucks by 10 miles per gallon over the next 10 years," reported The Hill. "The auto group plans to spend at least $1 million on the ad buy, a spokesman said. ... Fuel mileage standards for automobiles are currently set at 27.5 miles per gallon, and have not been raised since 1990."

The Glover Park Group designed the "series of radio spots and print ads" for AAM, which "will run in 10 states," reported AdWeek. The ads claimed that the Senate bill "would make drivers less safe because automakers would have to build smaller cars in order to conform to the mandate."

Anti-people meter people
In 2004, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation launched a "campaign to block Nielsen Research from changing the TV ratings system," according to the National Journal (Sept 13, 2004). GPG worked with the PR firms Dewey Square Group and Grassroots Enterprise, Inc. on the "lobbying, advertising and grassroots campaign designed to persuade black and Hispanic lawmakers to pressure Nielsen to scrap the new ratings system."

The argument given was that "African-American and Latino viewers in New York would be undercounted by electronic People Meters," according to New York Daily News (Apr. 8, 2004). But Roll Call (Apr. 7, 2004) reported that News Corp. "fear[ed] the loss of millions of dollars in advertising revenue under the new ratings system." ("Nielsen," noted Roll Call, "counters that the new system increases ratings for black and Hispanic households.")

PR Week reported, "A coalition of political and community leaders has hired a Washington, DC-based public affairs agency to help in its campaign against the rollout of new data-collection technology by Nielsen Media Research. The coalition, called Don't Count Us Out, has hired Glover Park Group, a PA shop with close Democratic ties. The firm subcontracted media outreach for a series of events last week to New York-based Brand Sphere Partners (BSP), a management consultancy, according to BSP" (Anita Chabria, "Glover Park Aids in Effort Against New TV Data Research," PR Week, April 5, 2004).

According to Roll Call, "News Corp.'s campaign [against the new Nielsen People Meters] drafted another former Clinton press secretary, Joe Lockhart. Political consultants at Lockhart's Glover Park Group contacted the offices of minority lawmakers to ask them to write letters to Nielsen complaining about the People Meters. The Glover Park Group also provided the lawmakers with samples to help Congressional aides draft letters that hit all of the key points" (Brody Mullins, "Minority Members Help Nix Nielsen Change," Roll Call, April 7, 2004).

The New York Times added, "Glover Park, in turn, hired former Clinton operatives on the West Coast to handle the anti-Nielsen campaign there, chiefly Mark D. Fabiani, a former Clinton White House special counsel who worked on the Whitewater inquiry; and Christopher S. Lehane, who was also a counsel in the Clinton White House. Both men also went on to work for Mr. Gore's presidential campaign in 2000" (Raymond Hernandez and Stuart Elliott, "The Odd Couple vs. Nielsen," New York Times, June 14, 2004).

In April 2005, Don't Count Us Out celebrated its one-year anniversary by announcing a new "advertising campaign and a new Web site called 'Recommendation Watch'," which will "track Nielsen's progress towards improving minority TV measurement." The ads were created by GPG, according to AdWeek (Katy Bachman, "DCUO Launches Nielsen Oversight Campaign," AdWeek, April 12, 2005).

Less than two weeks later, Nielsen Media Research countered with a statement, reading:
 * The Glover Park Group is admitting for the first time that it created, organized and directed the activities of the Don't Count Us Out organization at the behest of News Corp. Don't Count Us Out has always maintained that it was an independent group of community activists. However, this admission, which is found on Glover Park's own website as a "case study" to attract more clients, clearly shows that it was always acting to advance the corporate interests of News Corp. and its TV stations, which experienced lower ratings after Nielsen replaced paper diaries with more accurate electronic Local People Meters in major television markets.

Don't Count Us Out leader Gil Casellas countered that his group has "always readily discussed the fact that we receive financial and logistical support from News Corp.," accusing Nielsen of "trying to change the topic from the plain fact that right now Nielsen's monopoly ratings service is not fully accredited in any market in the United States except one. Nielsen should spend more time fixing its broken ratings system and less time slinging mud at community activists" (William Triplett, "News Corp. pulls strings on coalition," Variety, April 25, 2005).

Slanting polls
In 2006, the Glover Park Group distributed a memo to Democratic congresspeople and DC media claiming that support for the Medicare prescription drug program was solid. As the media reported:


 * Joel Johnson, a partner at Glover Park, said his firm came to "the conclusion that with all the issues the Democrats have to work with, it just seems clear that there are more valuable targets upon which to focus our fire: tax breaks, Iraq, energy, environment, ethics." [...] "Nobody's more interested than I am in electing a Democratic Senate and Democratic House," said Johnson, a former senior policy and communications adviser to President Bill Clinton. "I hope we fight the most effective battle and are not falling into any traps."

Johnson and Glover Park neglected to mention that the work was funded by drug industry associations.

Shortly thereafter they released a biased poll alleging to show that the public opposed net neutrality>

History
GPG's areas of expertise include advocacy and image advertising, corporate communications, issues and crisis management ("from a Presidential impeachment to a crippling antitrust action facing the nation's largest company, we've been there to offer critical communications counsel" ), media relations, public affairs and research - including polling, focus groups and online research. 

The New York Times reported, "The Glover Park Group has been at the center of some of the biggest policy debates in New York City in recent years. Partners from the firm have been involved in helping organize campaigns against two projects favored by Michael R. Bloomberg, the city's Republican mayor: revamping the city charter and building a stadium for the New York Jets on the West Side of Manhattan." 

Clients
From various sources:
 * AFL-CIO
 * Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
 * Alliance for Climate Protection, Al Gore's climate change advocacy group that launched a $300 million marketing campaign in April 2008
 * American Family Voices, attacking the Bush administration and Securities and Exchange Commission over Harken Energy and other business scandals
 * Bring Back the Gulf Coalition
 * Coca-Cola, on "climate change, trade and assorted industry issues."
 * Colombia
 * DIRECTV
 * Fannie Mae
 * MCI-Worldcom
 * Microsoft
 * Miramax Film Corp, for Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11
 * NARAL Pro-Choice America
 * National Air Traffic Controllers Association
 * The National Security and Climate Change Project
 * Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation
 * Pentagon
 * Pfizer pharmaceuticals
 * Project Billboard, in its fight against Clear Channel Communications over an anti-war billboard on the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square during the Republican National Convention 2004
 * Smirnoff Vodka
 * Taiwan, "to push the US to sign a free-trade agreement with Taipei," according to the Taipei Times
 * United States Telecom Association

Senior staff
From their website and news reports:
 * Susan Brophy - partner in the legislative affairs division; previously deputy assistant to President Clinton
 * Carter Eskew
 * Michael Feldman
 * Kristine Fitton
 * Gigi Georges
 * Joel Johnson
 * Joe Lockhart
 * Kevin Madden - senior vice-president of the firm's public affairs division[]; previously served as national press secretary and senior communications strategist for Governor Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign, as press secretary to Republican Congressman John Boehner and as a campaign spokesperson for Bush-Cheney '04 Inc.
 * Lorrie McHugh-Wytkind
 * Amy Phee
 * Chip Smith
 * Howard Wolfson

Contact info
3299 K Street NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20007 Phone: 202-337-9137 Fax: 202-337-9137

405 Lexington ave, 11th Floor New York, NY 10174 Phone: 212-381-4009 Fax: 212-381-4004 Website: http://www.gloverparkgroup.com/

SourceWatch resources

 * Astroturf
 * Dewey Square Group
 * Don't Count Us Out
 * Grocery Manufacturers Association
 * Grassroots Enterprise, Inc.
 * HOTSOUP.com
 * Public relations firms

Articles

 * "Gore, Clinton Vets set up shop", O'Dwyer's PR Daily, June 15, 2001.
 * "Whitman delivers goods, 'Second Coming' of Clinton", O'Dwyer's PR Daily, August 1, 2001.
 * "No brands, please", O'Dwyer's PR Daily, October 17, 2001. (Sub req'd)
 * "Smirnoff starts on 'Sat. Night Live'", O'Dwyer's PR Daily, December 14, 2001.
 * "Lockhart lobbies for USS", O'Dwyer's PR Daily, January 21, 2002.
 * "Glover Park Group shows Bush, Cheney, Pitt as 'Foxes'", O'Dwyer's PR Daily, July 10, 2002.
 * "Glover taps Clinton Aide", O'Dwyer's PR Daily, February 5, 2003.
 * "Miramax hires Glover Park Group", O'Dwyer's PR Daily, May 7, 2004.
 * Raymond Hernandez and Stuart Elliott, "The Odd Couple vs. Nielsen," New York Times, June 13, 2004.
 * "GPG vs Clear Channel", O'Dwyer's PR Daily, July 12, 2004.
 * "Lockhart Advises Kerry", O'Dwyer's PR Daily, August 24, 2004.
 * Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, "Lobbyists Take Leave to Advise Kerry Campaign," Washington Post, September 8, 2004.
 * Anita Chabria, "Glover Park Group case study causes controversy," PR Week (sub. req'd.), April 27, 2005.
 * "Pfizer Taps Glover Park," O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), January 25, 2007.
 * Steve Miller, "AAM Fights Mileage Mandates," AdWeek, May 25, 2007.
 * Nikki Finke, "Writers And Producers Tried To Hire J-Lo," Deadline Hollywood Daily, November 28, 2007.
 * Eamon Javers, HRC Colombia ties don't stop with Penn, Politico.com, April 8, 2008.